Career Quotes: Abby's Impact Lifts Her Teammates

Wambach's teammates talk about the legend they have come to know on and off the field

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Meghan KLINGENBERG

“Abby is another one of those pioneers. It's been really interesting being able to see how she handles the game, how she handles herself off the field, how she handles the fame of being Abby Wambach. That's not really something that anybody else on the team has had to deal with until this World Cup. She's always handled herself very graciously off the field and gives her time to fans and makes sure that she's always complimentary of her teammates and other teams and coaches and the media. That's one of the things that I've taken away from playing with Abby and watching her is that the way that you act off the field and the way that you represent the United States Women's National team is important. You need to be able to be a good representation because you're not just representing yourself, you're representing the other people on the team. Abby does a great job of representing herself, but also the rest of the team. I am really thankful that I've been able to watch her handle that because I think it's made a big impression on me.”

Hope SOLO

“There's too much that needs to be said about Abby. There's so much that has already been said and there are probably not enough words that have been said. I'm just proud that Abby and I have a very close relationship. It's taken a lot of time to get to this point where we're at and it's a relationship, a friendship that has developed out of respect and out of admiration. I continue to learn from her, I continue to admire her, and I continue to respect her. For me, that is somebody who will impact my life, not just on the soccer field, but off the field as well. For me to sit here and talk about Abby, one of the best players of all time, not as a soccer player but as a person, speaks a lot about how she impacts others. For me, she's more than just a soccer player. She's one of the best female role models and one of the best female athletes that I've ever had the privilege to know.”

Becky SAUERBRUNN

“There's no other player that I can think of in the women's game aside from Mia Hamm that has had such an impact on the world. To be her teammate on a bunch of different teams and to have gotten to see her throughout the years ... She's just one of those players that demands and commands attention. She thrives off of it. You don't see a lot of people that can thrive off that. Most people kind of shy away from it but she takes it and she goes above and beyond people's expectations."

Amy RODRIGUEZ

“Abby's fantastic as a person, player, and teammate. She's been such a mentor to me, someone I've always looked up to and a fantastic role model as a team leader. She holds the record for the most goals scored ever and she deserves that because she has played so well over her career. I've learned a lot from her and she will surely be missed.”

Megan RAPINOE

“It is hard to sum this one up. She's one of the best that's ever played. There's no one that's done what she has done. She's so unique, I think, in the way that she has dominated, and there's never been a player like that. She's the best in the world at what she does and just her knack for scoring goals and scoring big goals and showing up in those big moments has been tremendous her whole career. She's got a million goals. She’s a legend.”

Christie RAMPONE

“The presence that she brings to the field and her ability in the air and her leadership have just been remarkable. We have all benefited from how vocal she is in the locker room and on the pitch. It's going to be kind of quiet when she's not in the game and that's something everyone will have to figure out. She's just a fantastic person and someone will be a friend for life.”

Christen PRESS

“The first time I played with Abby was in the WPS in Florida and I think I was just in awe of the whole situation. The National Team was in World Cup year and the players were flying in and out for games. She would fly in, not practice and score a few goals with her head, and fly back out. One of the cool things about playing with Abby is I think we have so many qualities as players that are opposites so I have gotten to watch her do things that I will never be able to do. She just flies through the air and smashes balls in with her head, but I also kind of feel like we're complimentary at the same time. She's definitely been someone that I've watched closely that I've tried to observe how she found greatness and how she achieved it, and how to take something away from that. Even without her here, we will still have her spirit within the team.”

Heather O’REILLY

“Abby Wambach is one in a million. On the field, I don't think there’s a bigger fighter out there. There's nobody with a bigger heart. There's nobody better in the air. There's no better teammate. There's nobody that's going to pump you up as much as Abby. She's just been the absolute glue to this team, for so many years. I mean the amount of goals she's scored is off the charts. I can't even count that high, but she's just been an extraordinary teammate and an extraordinary leader for this game and women sports. I look up to her a lot. She's my friend, but I also consider her such a role model, because of the way she's led herself and the team through the years.”

Kelley O’HARA

“I mean, just, Google her, right? It's Abby Wambach. She's done more than you could ever talk about or put into words for this team, for female athletes, for women's soccer internationally. She's just done it all and has done it with such class. I just really look up to her and I really admire the way she carries herself and how she does it because she's accomplished so much as an individual but she's always done what's best for the team, always. That's just who she is and she’s a legend. She will go down in history as one of the greats.”

Alex MORGAN

“Abby's impact on, not only soccer, but women's sports has been one that I don't think someone can really match. I've been lucky to be able to witness that firsthand for the last six years. I looked up to her when I was in middle school and in high school and wanted to play next to her. Then I did realize that dream of playing next to her and when I did, she gave me confidence. She was my big sister. She's just a great leader for this team and has had so much influence on this success of this team and on this sport.

It's really hard to see her leaving the sport, because she's done so much for it and has been so selfless in helping the sport continue to evolve and grow, not only in the States but globally. She's a great speaker and honestly when anyone asks any of our team to speak, we always give the mic to Abby, because she is so good with her words. She's unique and I'm going to miss her a lot.”

Carli LLOYD

“There won't be another Abby Wambach, that's for sure. She's a legend of the game. She's been a part of so much, not just on the field, but off the field as well. She's just helped transcend the sport. She's just been a leader to push women's soccer to where it is now. She's been around for a long time and has grown and evolved on and off the field into an amazing leader.

“I was really excited that we played together on the Western NY Flash because I think that we got to understand each other a little bit more and grow our relationship on and off the field. When you're with somebody who knows the game really well, who reads the game really well, you can play with each other with your eyes closed. That's how I feel Abby and I are. If she wants me to do something, she will definitely let me know and vice versa.

“She's come up big in so many big moments. She's been a champion. She has basically done everything possible to put her body on the line and help this team win. She will be missed for sure.”

Ali KRIEGER

“When she's out on the field, no matter what, no matter what situation, you feel a sense of calmness. She's basically a coach on the field and she's been such a powerful leader for this squad for so long that it's hard to imagine a U.S. National Team without her. Ever since I came onto the team she's been the go-to person. I have been on this team when she wasn’t there, so it’s hard to picture playing without her. She’s a born leader and she embodies the spirit of this team.”

Julie JOHNSTON

“I think she is someone who has changed the view of women's soccer and there’s something about her that's definitely different when it comes to big moments. Being a younger player, I think I’ve just watched her and I’ve seen what she did for this sport and what her impact will continue to be for all those that watched her during her career.”

Lauren HOLIDAY

“Abby Wambach is a hero. She’s a hero for this game, for her teammates, for her coaches, and for anyone who's ever been in contact with her. No one will ever touch the career that she has had. She has been absolutely outstanding. What is so special about her is she takes people under her wing and she really wants what's best for everybody and I think that that is the legacy she'll leave on this team.”

Tobin HEATH

“She's scored a few goals, huh? Abby's awesome. I can't say enough about her, about her personality, about what she means to this team. I feel like she's always been that face for us in many ways. She's led this team in so many ways and just the fact that she's the all-time leading goal scorer speaks for itself in terms of her football quality. That goals number is just absurd. I don't really have to speak for how awesome she is on the field, but in terms of off the field, she's just been a great role model, a great friend and a great teammate. She's has not only been a great representative of our team, but of the sport in general. She's confronted such big challenges in her career both on the field and off the field and she’s always taken the highest road you can take in terms of a moral way to go. I've always really looked up to that because I feel like that's such a hard thing to do especially when you're in a position like her where everybody's watching you. She always seems to say the right things and do the right things in the really hard moments.”

Whitney ENGEN

“It's hard to start to quantify Abby in a lot of ways. Obviously she's had a tremendous career, breaking records, pushing the boundaries of our sport, raising awareness in a positive way media-wise and being a great role model. Off the field, we always kind of tease her that she can come into a conversation and take it over, or even dominate it, but to be honest, I love it, because she's always got something fun and interesting to talk about. I’ve really enjoyed those conversations with her."

Lori CHALUPNY

“When I think about my time on the National Team, Abby is the first face that pops into my mind. She's a leader on the team, she's the voice of the team, and she's the one that's always kind of riling us up and getting us confident. Just in the day-to-day, Abby's a presence on this team and she's been a big part of why the team has been so successful.”

Shannon BOXX

“We got on the team around the same time and just to see her career and just how well she's done is inspiring. We live in the same city, and actually we were at dinner, and totally teared up because she was talking about retiring. She's like, ‘Why are you crying?’ And I said, ‘I'm just so happy for you.’ She really deserves everything she’s gotten. And the fact that we got to do all this together really means a lot as well. We're family, and it's really cool when we can see each other be successful.”

Morgan BRIAN

“Abby is a legend on and off the field. She never ceases to amaze me with her leadership skills, how she treats people, and the things she does on the soccer field that you can't teach. I am so blessed to have been inspired by Abby Wambach as a little girl to one day play on the Women's National Team. And then to be able to be her teammate on the Women's World Cup team was such an honor. Thank you Abby for all you have done for women's soccer and the game! I’ll miss you!”

Alyssa NAEHER

“It’s certainly been a privilege and an honor to get the chance to play with Abby. I’ve got the chance to play with a few legends of this game and I would put her in right at the top. She’s done so much for women’s soccer, for this team and for me personally. She will be missed by everyone. I thank her so much for everything she’s given to the game. I’m a better player for having played with and against her.”

Ashlyn HARRIS

“Gosh, she’s one of the most influential women I have ever come across in my journey of playing this sport. She’s taught me invaluable lessons about what it takes to be the best and what it means to stand up and be a good person. I think I’m a better player because of her taking the time to coach me along the way and take me under her wing since I started playing professionally. I’m going to miss seeing her face every day. I’m going to miss seeing her screams, and her smiles and her dance moves. I will miss the conversations, but I know we’ll be friends forever.”